Lutz: GM Deserving of Government Loans

As we follow the Volt’s progress there is always a palpable sense of urgency as GM remains unprofitable and continues to burn through cash at a considerable rate.  Especially problematic for them has been the dramatic rise in gas prices and precipitous plunge in truck and SUV sales from which most of their profit comes.
Chairman Wagoner [...]

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Poll Results: 65% Prefer Production Version VOLT, 35% Concept

In our last post we gave readers the chance to weigh in on whether they preferred the looks of the concept Volt or the production Volt as we’ve seen it so far from the leaked Transformers2 set video.
Understandably its not really fair to compare fuzzy, grainy, dark, and odd-angled shots of the production car to [...]

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Volt Battery Supplier Chosen and GM Comments on Production Photo Leaks (POLL)

GM vice chairman Bob Lutz has told reporters that the automaker has indeed decided on which of the two battery making teams they have chosen to supply the Chevy Volt battery packs.
Lutz would not specify which company team that is, LG Chem/CPI or A123/Continental. High ranking sources within those battery companies advise me they [...]

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BREAKING: Production VOLT Spied!! The REAL DEAL!!

The Chevy Volt production design car is scheduled to appear in the upcoming film Transformers2.
It turns out the vehicle has been caught by video camera on the movie set.
Unbelievable, this is the real deal folks!
This is the first time in history the public has a view of the car.

And here is the VIDEO:
Thanks to Chris [...]

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Chevy Volt Interior Picture Leak

Motive Magazine seems to have gotten hold of a picture of the Chevy Volt’s interior. It was posted today.
It looks different than the most recent clay mock-up Volt chief designer Bob Boniface showed ABC news.
When I was in the design lab I had seen multiple variants of the interior, and it wasn’t clear [...]

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Bob Lutz Responds to Toyota’s Announcement: Large Volt Test Fleet in 2009

It only been a few hours since we heard from Toyota that they plan on bringing plug-in versions of the Prius into test fleets in 2009.
GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz responded to this news in an interview with reporters.
He indicated that the race between Toyota and GM to create a plug-in car is “meaningless” as the [...]

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Volt Competition: Mazda’s Secret E-REV Program, Toyota Forwards Plug-in Fleet to 2009

As the momentum builds towards Chevy Volt production, the competition are apparently not sitting by idly.
Autocar (UK) today reported inside information that Mazda has secretly been developing its own extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV).
The article reports "Mazda engineers are hard at work trying to develop a rival to the Chevrolet Volt." Inside sources claim that [...]

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Bob Lutz on Chevy Volt Battery Tests, Cold Starts, and Use of OnStar

Leftlanenews.com had the chance to interview Bob Lutz and included some Volt talk.
The GM vice-chairman confirmed that the prototype batteries have been tested both in extreme cold and extreme heat conditions, and aside from some solder failures on the prototypes he said that in terms of the lithium-ion chemistry, there has been an “eerie”, “almost [...]

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The Chevy Volt Generator Will Run at One of Several Fixed RPMs

People often ask how the Volt’s combustion engine will run after the first 40 EV miles have been driven. It seems that if the generator runs at a fixed RPM, the efficiency of the system will be greater than if it is allowed to vary. Since to this point GM has never publicly told [...]

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E-Flex Cadillac Next?

GM has previously unveiled a concept car called the Cadillac Provoq. It was meant to demonstrate an E-Flex platform using a hydrogen fuel cell range extender in the form of a crossover.
As far as anyone at GM would say at the time of the unveiling, that vehicle was not production-intent.
From early on, considering the [...]

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How the Chevy Volt Operates Past the Customer Depletion Point

The way the Volt is designed, the first 40 miles of driving are powered by the electric energy stored in the battery. After that distance from full charge, somewhere around 30% state of charge, the on-board generator kicks in. The generator’s job is to keep the battery at that 30% level all the [...]

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The Chevy Volt Will Have iPod Connectivity (Plus More Design Issues)

The other day, GM hosted a live online chat with about 50 people and Volt chief designer Bob Boniface. Some of the discussion highlights follow.
Asked what his favorite exterior styling feature is, Bob said he “loves the headlamps.” He addresses how different the Volt will be than a Prius saying “there many ways [...]

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